Am I just a lazy slob?

I've had my bass for almost two years and I've never really cleaned any part of it. Is any type of cleaning really necessary? I have a rosewood fret board and I have noticed it looks a little dry. (more than it used to) - is that a bad thing? The little bit of crud around the frets doesn't bother me much, I don't think that affects things much. I read that over oiling will make the frets lift - so what's the harm in being dry? The thing that really got me thinking was the other day I got into the electronics cavity for the first time in a long time it seemed to have quite a lot of what looked like dust in there. That dust very well could have been cigarette ashes if its possible that my ashes could fall down next to the pickup and make their way to where I found them, that's probably what it was - is that bad? I do have a lot of dust & ash all around in the gaps where the soap bar pick ups come through the body. - would that have any effect on the function of anything? I've also given up on changing strings as I feel that I can get away with setting my action much lower with the old strings and I actually prefer the sound I get to new strings. (okay and because I'm cheap/poor) Any reason I should be cleaning and polishing and spiffing stuff up? Are the ashes going to cause trouble with the electronics? Am I just a huge slob or are my lazy ways okay?

Take your bass outside, lean it up against the wall and take your water hose and spray it off. Don't bother to dry it off either. Just set it out in the sun for a few hours. That should give it enough time to dry and tighten up all the loose parts. Should be as good as new. Pressure washer works better, but why spend all that much time and energy getting the machine out, gas, hose, wand and then putting it up (or not). Just a thought. Oh by the way to answer your question, I'll have to agree with the other guys and guyettes you sound like a bass slob to me.

Careful with the canned air, though. I've heard you can damage the finish if the freon (or whatever chemical is in the can that makes it cold) spills on to your bass. Keep the can upright while spraying.